“For example, women were forced, in accordance with neo-Confucian ideology, to remain chaste before marriage and barred from remarrying once their husbands had passed away.
The overall objectives of the institution of marriage during the Chosŏn dynasty were two-fold: to carry out ancestral rites and assure the succession of the paternal linage. As such, all decisions pertaining to a marriage were made by the household and not the individuals themselves. Thus, marriage, which was perceived as a union of two families rather than two individuals, was seen as an opportunity to increase the family’s standing.
The remarriage of widows only became a serious issue during the reign of King Sŏngjong, by which time the neo-Confucianist order had become more deeply entrenched, as it came into conflict with the Confucian ideal exemplified by the saying, “just as a loyal subject should not worship two kings, a virtuous women should obey only one husband.”
In July 1477 (8th year of King Sŏngjong), the king summoned 46 of the nation’s most respected loyal subjects to take part in a discussion on the need to prohibit women from remarrying once their spouses had passed away. All but four of the merit subjects taking part in this discussion opposed the imposition of restrictions on widows’ right to marry on the ground that this represented too severe a measure.
Nevertheless, the king eventually sided with the four merit subjects who had come out in favor of prohibiting widows from remarrying on the grounds that, “starving to death is a trivial matter compared to a woman’s loss of her chastity”. As a result, the chaeganyŏ chason kumgobŏp- in which the descendants of remarried women and of concubines could not be eligible for the government service examination (saengwŏn & chinsa)-was included in the Kyŏngguk taejŏn.
This law was designed to put the descendants of women who had married more than twice at a disadvantage when it came to the securing of government office. As such, Chosŏn society attempted to prevent women from remarrying by mortgaging the ability of their descendants to succeed.”
We should always remember that translating any form of media into another language isn’t easy especially subbing historical dramas + Viki subbers add English & other language subtitles to dramas for no pay.
The overall objectives of the institution of marriage during the Chosŏn dynasty were two-fold: to carry out ancestral rites and assure the succession of the paternal linage. As such, all decisions pertaining to a marriage were made by the household and not the individuals themselves. Thus, marriage, which was perceived as a union of two families rather than two individuals, was seen as an opportunity to increase the family’s standing.
The remarriage of widows only became a serious issue during the reign of King Sŏngjong, by which time the neo-Confucianist order had become more deeply entrenched, as it came into conflict with the Confucian ideal exemplified by the saying, “just as a loyal subject should not worship two kings, a virtuous women should obey only one husband.”
In July 1477 (8th year of King Sŏngjong), the king summoned 46 of the nation’s most respected loyal subjects to take part in a discussion on the need to prohibit women from remarrying once their spouses had passed away. All but four of the merit subjects taking part in this discussion opposed the imposition of restrictions on widows’ right to marry on the ground that this represented too severe a measure.
Nevertheless, the king eventually sided with the four merit subjects who had come out in favor of prohibiting widows from remarrying on the grounds that, “starving to death is a trivial matter compared to a woman’s loss of her chastity”. As a result, the chaeganyŏ chason kumgobŏp- in which the descendants of remarried women and of concubines could not be eligible for the government service examination (saengwŏn & chinsa)-was included in the Kyŏngguk taejŏn.
This law was designed to put the descendants of women who had married more than twice at a disadvantage when it came to the securing of government office. As such, Chosŏn society attempted to prevent women from remarrying by mortgaging the ability of their descendants to succeed.”
https://ijkh.khistory.org/upload/pdf/6_05.pdf
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/korea/neoconfucian_reform_women.pdf
https://ijkh.khistory.org/upload/pdf/6_05.pdf
https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/he3sgv/viki_disgusts_me/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf